Maybe those teabag totin' whackadoos at the Palin rallies are not so whackadoo after all...

In an attempt to redefine the Republican party after eight years of Bush crusading and McCain's three month death march against President Obama, the Tea Party wing of the Republican party (and their tin foil hat wearing leaders) have come up with a sure fire way to get the country back on track and their Party back to its roots.

Thursday, the Tea Bag Patriots (a group within the Tea Bag movement) held a press conference at the annual CPAC convention announcing the creation of "Thecontract.org", a website where other tea baggers (s well as all Americans) will be able to go through a list of twenty or so points and vote on the ones they deem the most important. From there, Tea Party Poobahs will select the ten most agreed upon issues and craft those ten into a new "Contract with America".

Don't laugh too hard, Leftfielders...

In 1994 the Republicans tried a similar course of actions- nationalizing the mid-term Congressional elections by having their candidates run with Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America" as their campaign promises- and it worked real well for them, granting them majority control of the House of Representatives for the vast majority of the 90's.

And a 2010 version of the Contract might have a similar effect...

The list of points the people will have to read through and vote on will include:

Amending the constitution to require a balanced budget and a two-thirds majority for any tax hike.

Permanently repealing all tax hikes scheduled to begin in 2011.

Requiring every bill in Congress to be made public seven days before any vote can be taken and all government expenditures authorized by any bill to be easily accessible on the Internet before the money is spent.

Requiring each bill to identify the specific provision of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to do what the bill does.

Permitting all health insurance plans to be sold anywhere in the United States through the purchase of insurance across state lines. Allow small businesses and associations to pool together across state lines to buy insurance.

Adopting a simple and fair single-rate tax system by scrapping the internal revenue code and “replacing it with one that is no longer than 4,543 words — the length of the original Constitution.”

Imposing a statutory cap limiting the annual growth in total federal spending to the sum of inflation rate plus the percentage of population growth.

Allowing Americans to opt out of Social Security and Medicare and instead put those same payroll taxes in a personal account “they own, control and can leave to whomever they choose.”

Preventing any regulation or tax on the Internet.

Improving education by eliminating ineffective and wasteful programs, giving parents more choices from pre-school to high school and improving the affordability of higher education.

Authorizing the exploration of proven energy reserves to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources from unstable countries and reduce regulatory barriers to all other forms of energy creation, lowering prices and creating competition.

Prohibiting the Federal Communications Commission from using funds to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine.

Creating a Blue Ribbon task force that engages in a complete audit of federal agencies and programs.

Blocking state and local governments that receive federal grants from exercising eminent domain over private property for the primary purpose of economic development or enhancement of tax revenues.

Preventing the EPA from implementing costly new regulations.

Placing a moratorium on all earmarks until the process is fully transparent. Also requiring a two-thirds majority to pass any earmark.

Making all lawmaking regulators, including presidential appointed czars, be affirmatively approved by Congress and signed into law by the president.

Audit the Federal Reserve System.

Making sure the federal government does not bail out private companies. The government should also immediately divest itself of its stake in the private companies it owns from recent bailouts.

Amending the constitution to require congressional term limits. No person shall be elected to the Senate more than twice or to the House of Representatives more than four times.

Making all regulations “sunset” after 10 years unless renewed by congressional vote.

Broadcasting all non-security meetings and votes on C-SPAN and the Internet.

Not too shabby huh...

But are the Republican higher ups going to sway to the moans of the Mob... reshaping their party in the image of the rabblerousing tea baggers? If they are smart, they might really consider it.

Should the republicans decide to scorn the tea party people and their Contract, it is possible that the Tea baggers might go rogue. Pushed by the right charismatic national voice, Tea bag supported candidates might be able to go before the American people as a third party movement and have a viable shot of making a go at it in 2012. With so many Americans expressing dissatisfaction with both of the Parties and poll after poll showing Independents expressing disillusion with President Obama's "business as usual" approach in bringing about all that "change" he was talking about, the time might be right for a legit third party to toss their hat into the ring.

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What Do You Think

Gay Marriage....

Is too important an issue for the Government to leave to the hands of the people... Should be a state's rights issue where the voice of the people will be heard... Isn't going to matter a hill of beans once the Chinese roll their tanks down the Pacific Coast Highway...